Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Bai E's voice was steady yet influential, with the eyes of the emotional Gong Yan already misting over.

The images that surfaced in his mind were of generation after generation of warriors bravely rushing to battlefields.

The people of this world... seemed to be living quite miserably.

"Yet even so, our city, the one we depend on for survival, is still filled with darkness, with desires breeding in the shadows and conspiracies flourishing in the light,"

Bai E did not know what the real situation was, and could only use some ambiguous words to subdue these players who had discovered anomalies.

As for the future... who knew if they would recognize each other?

Plus, in such a big city, there had to be a few bad guys, right?

He was definitely not wrong about that.

"My companions and I have identified those unstable elements, and without excising these boils, we can never unite everyone's strength to strive for that ultimate goal."

After speaking, Bai E looked at the three in front of him, eyes imbued with an inexplicable force, "If you insist on knowing the truth, you might lose the right to withdraw. This will be a long and thorny path, and without the resolve to face death unflinchingly, you'll surely perish in the ascending flames."

Dai Lian felt his long-absent fervor rising.

Why did he love gaming?

Even those virtual stories, as if they truly took place in another real universe, what kind of splendid life would it be to experience them firsthand?

The words of this officer sparked boundless imagination in people's minds.

To fight against the shadows of the entire city for the future of all humanity, what kind of heroic path was that?

Even if they failed, they would be remembered by the world.

"Sir, we are not afraid of hardship; we only fear mediocrity!"

"This is not a path strewn with flowers and grandeur."

"Even a death filled with glory is what we seek in our hearts!"

"Good."

Bai E's eyes showed a hint of appreciation; indeed, these were the familiar players.

"Since you are determined, I will not reject companions who share our cause. Remember this name—Li Ming! Then bury it deep in your heart, and before the arrival of dawn, we will fight ceaselessly through the night."

[Unlocked Faction Information: Li Ming (Prestige Level: 1).]

[Unlocked Identity: Leader.]

[Identity—Leader of Li Ming: Can issue faction missions to all "Li Ming" members, currently able to issue 1 mission. The number of missions that can be issued will increase with the faction's prestige level.]

[Basic construction-type commission unlocked, currently can issue 1/1 construction-type commissions.]

[Please set the Faction Token: …]

[Please set the Token's ability/material exchange ratio: …]

"..."

Bai E was somewhat astonished.

Random blathering counted too?

Building a faction was this simple?

Kuang Xin and the other two were excited, unhesitatingly confirming upon the prompt's appearance.

[The other party invites you to join the faction: Li Ming (Prestige Level: 1), do you accept?]

[Yes!]

...

[Kuang Xin, Gong Yan, Dai Lian have joined your faction.]

Hey, hey, don't be so hasty! I haven't even set the tokens yet!

Bai E had never felt his mind work this fast.

How had he ended up entangling himself with his own bluffs?

Just wait, let me make things up...

[Temporary member; cannot view Faction Shop.]

"..."

Dai Lian and the others were silent, looking pitifully at Bai E.

Bai E breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness he was one step ahead.

With a straight face, Bai E spoke indifferently, "Our cause does not permit the slightest error. Although I am willing to trust your character, a basic test is essential."

Tapping the pile of lumber next to him, Bai E remembered the small hill he had seen from afar earlier.

It was too conspicuous.

"Our original intention was to build a small base here, and your gathering of these materials serves that purpose. As our organization is short on manpower, and since you have just joined, this new base will be entrusted to you to construct."

[Commission description is auto-generating...]

[Side Mission—Construct Warehouse (Construction-type Commission): The beginning of constructing a base requires a warehouse that can accommodate supplies without being disturbed or discovered.

Mission Requirements: Build an underground warehouse, capacity (0/1~∞m³).

Mission Reward: Li Ming position, Li Ming contribution points (distributed as progress is made).]

(Note: There is a physical submission step; the current commission cannot be "auto-completed" and requires "acceptance completion"; upon confirming the release of the commission, "authority" will be deducted and locked.)

[Do you wish to issue the current commission?]

The initial capacity of the underground warehouse... If it's too big, they'll just slack off; if it's too small, it won't drag out enough time.

Let them start with this—20*20*3m³!

Cheer up, darlings.

Publish!

...

"1200 cubic meters?"

"Seems not too small."

Everyone knows how big one meter is, but twenty meters starts to get hazy, and 20*20*3 is even more confusing.

The three players who had never done similar work also had no concrete concept of it.

It seemed not small, but once they got to work, it would be done.

"Work hard, and once this small base is completed, you'll be the backbone."

Kuang Xin muttered softly, "But... I have no idea how to dig holes..."

Bai E's gaze was calm, trying to convey strength, "Believe in yourself, your creativity is infinite."

"That's true..."

Kuang Xin felt empowered.

If you don't know how, try; if you can't try, learn; there's everything on the internet, just look it up and it's settled.

This is a world where players can freely remodel, and having a floor that can be dug permanently is a blessing from heaven!

"Additionally..."

Bai E said, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

...

The scarlet view bestowed a red glow on everything in sight, the serrated edges of grass blades cutting through the visuals, every living thing exuding an enticing scent of flesh and blood.

The genetic blueprint outlined everything, with infinite mysteries hidden within the double helix.

Desire! Everything! Flesh and blood!

"Hiss!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

[Successfully hit multiple small targets, Light Firearm Mastery experience +5.] (Stacked)

[Hit the vital part of the target, causing 25 points of fatal damage to the target!]

[Target's breathing ceased, has lost basic life signs.]

[Plague Rat (Mutated): Health 0/25...]

...

[You have ended the battle, gaining 12 points of combat experience.]

The sudden gunfire startled Kuang Xin and the other two, their eyes wide with confusion.

What happened?

Were they silenced?

The officer's face was expressionless as he holstered his gun, giving the impression that the shooting had nothing to do with him.

Their slow-reacting brains recalled the sound of the gunfire—four shots.

On the ground beside the officer—four plague rat corpses.

One bullet each, and he only spared them a glance.

Is this the strength of NPCs in the game?

"Gulp!"

Kuang Xin swallowed dryly.

With such strength, if he had truly angered him just now, he might have been silenced in minutes...

He had firsthand experience with the difficulty of these plague rats.

Small, fast.

Forget using guns; even in close combat, it was quite hard to hit them.

Their only weakness was low attack power, but even ants could kill an elephant if there were enough of them.

...

"My lord..."

Dai Lian looked at Bai E's back, his voice trembling slightly.

The abject humiliation of being chased by a swarm of rats yesterday was still fresh in his memory, and now... were they coming again?

Bai E looked behind, rustling shadows surging over the black and yellow earth.

A few dozen? A hundred?

Quite a spectacle.

Narrowing her eyes, Bai E suddenly remembered yesterday's instructor's tactical exercise.

Could she... give it a try?